Crisis of the Week: Africa Allegations Aggravate Bolloré

French businessman Vincent Bolloré in Paris on April 19, 2018. Mr. Bolloré denies bribery allegations made against him by French prosecutors.
Photo:
REUTERS/Charles Platiau

This is a weekly commentary by external experts.

French police took billionaire businessman Vincent Bolloré into custody on April 24 as part of a bribery investigation involving his family holding company, Bolloré Group. Prosecutors then brought preliminary bribery charges against Mr. Bolloré for alleged payments to politicians in Togo and Guinea.

The company issued a statement on April 24 acknowledging it is under investigation for a claim it said was made by a former Bolloré Group employee who was sentenced to prison for "misappropriation of assets." Bolloré Group said its former African subsidiary, SDV Africa, "did not engage in any illegal actions."

Mr. Bolloré denied the allegations. The company issued a statement to The Wall Street Journal on behalf of Mr. Bolloré, saying: "Mr. Bolloré, who is presumed innocent, can finally have access to investigative files that he has never seen and respond to these baseless accusations." Mr. Bolloré published an op-ed in a French newspaper on April 29 in which he didn't comment directly about the investigation but argued for continued investment in Africa.

Three crisis-management experts evaluate the company's public communications.

Peter LaMotte, senior vice president, Chernoff Newman: "Vincent Bolloré fails to provide anything other than a vehement denial in his public response to the ongoing investigation. Most crisis managers will suggest someone under investigation should express innocence along with a willingness to help exonerate themselves.

"What is lacking from Mr. Bolloré’s public statement is the presence of either contrition or assistance. His op-ed is written as a very public defense to a very closed-door investigation. Mr. Bolloré attempts to portray himself as the victim of the investigation and then depict his company’s efforts as the true and nobly motivated connection to African trade with France. Not only is it rare for a billionaire to elicit sympathy in these situations, but in such a high-profile investigation the self-congratulatory claims made by Mr. Bolloré may turn public sentiment against him.

"Meanwhile, Mr. Bolloré’s company takes a contradictory approach by burying their public response deep in their press page with the uninteresting title of “press release,” providing no description or detail. It is curious for such dissimilar approaches to be coming from such closely connected parties."

Melissa Agnes, crisis management advisor, keynote speaker and author of “Crisis Ready”: "The communication objective at this point in the investigation is to instill and retain confidence and trust in the organization and its position in the market. As a public-facing statement, Bolloré Group’s press release was strong. It provided context and background color in a matter-of-fact, no-fluff tone of voice. In doing so the organization educated and provided pertinent information that helped to instill and retain trust and credibility in its processes and the ethicality of its business practices.

"While it’s important for strong public statements to be made and for all messaging to be consistent, the real crisis management in terms of maintaining relationships and trust in the organization depends on the actions the company is taking behind the scenes to communicate one-on-one with its investors, employees and other key stakeholders.

"As for the op-ed by Vincent Bolloré, this was an interesting strategy. It came across as having been written by a man who is reflective and discouraged by the state of these current affairs and the long-term impact they threaten to have on the relationship between France and Africa. It was a bold move--and because of its seemingly transparent tone it helped to further instill credibility in the company’s position of innocence."

Adonis E. Hoffman, chairman and chief executive, the Advisory Counsel Inc.: "Saving Africa is a long-held notion popular with the French in keeping with its post-colonial role in African business and government. Thus it is not surprising to see Mr. Bolloré rely on this argument.

"Mr. Bolloré adeptly recounts the economic challenges facing Africa, including a legacy of corruption and poor governance. He tacitly acknowledges his business could be erroneously construed as part of the problem. He distinguishes his actions from others, citing decades of involvement and investment in two of Africa’s poorest countries--ultimately at great expense.

"The France-as-African-savior argument resonates better in Europe and Asia than in America, where our laws are stricter and less favorable to dalliances with dictators in developing countries. Nevertheless, Mr. Bollore’s appeal to the conscience of the world to not abandon Africa has some integrity.

"Whether that is sufficient to absolve him from blame is the question. Mr. Bollore's op-ed could have conveyed the message much more clearly. Ultimately, Mr. Bolloré has great credibility based on the success and longevity of his ventures but his statements have not leveraged that goodwill."

Write to Ben DiPietro at ben.dipietro@wsj.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenDiPietro1.